


Stay Awake

by Ray_Writes



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:02:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27109186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ray_Writes/pseuds/Ray_Writes
Summary: Laurel finds a good trick for putting her daughter to sleep.
Relationships: Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen
Comments: 16
Kudos: 24





	Stay Awake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [okoriwadsworth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/okoriwadsworth/gifts).



> Wrote this little drabble for Okoriwadsworth, my co-mod over at the Lauriver discord who prompted me Laurel singing her daughter a lullaby last night. Title of this fic and the words to the song are not mind and belong to the Sherman Brothers and the Walt Disney Company, as originated by Julie Andrews in 1964's _Mary Poppins_. Hope you all enjoy!

“Liv, I know you wanted to wait, but it’s getting late. I promise, your daddy will come see you first thing in the morning,” Laurel said in as placating a tone as she knew how, even though she knew it wouldn’t do any good.

Sure enough, their little three year-old puffed out her cheeks and shook her head, her legs kicking and tangling the blankets. “Wait for daddy! Daddy come home!”

“Daddy  _ will _ come home, but he’ll be home before you know it if you go to sleep,” Laurel pointed out. 

“No! No, no, no!”

A part of her couldn’t help looking back fondly on the days when the most difficult part about bedtime was when Liv used to wake them up in the middle of night crying. At least she’d never fought them much back then about just going to sleep.

She knew her daughter wasn’t trying to be difficult. She just loved both her parents and wanted them around more. Laurel and Oliver had had more than one talk about finally hanging up the hood and the masks to retire, but there always seemed to be some new threat around the corner, or one of the others had a crisis of some kind that left them nervous about taking a step back and leaving the city in someone else’s hands. They took turns going out at night so that someone was always home for Olivia, and when there was a situation that called for all hands on deck, Raisa volunteered her time to babysit. Laurel knew it meant so much to Ollie that his old cook and nanny had agreed to come back into their lives since Liv could never know her maternal grandmother.

Sometimes they worried about whether she’d grow up knowing both her parents, if some night one of them wasn’t lucky. Laurel was glad they’d put the argument about her coming back to field work after her maternity leave far behind them; as she’d said — or shouted — then, she’d never be able to live with herself if Oliver didn’t come home to his daughter because of some terrorist she could have helped stop.

But none of those thoughts she’d been turning over for a while now solved the issue of getting her little girl to sleep. Liv was determined and, as everyone  _ loved _ to point out, she had a combination of the most stubborn genes in all of Star City. That, however, gave Laurel an idea.

She brushed some of Liv’s blonde locks back from her forehead. “Okay, you don’t have to. We’ll just stay up  _ all _ night till daddy’s back.”

That quieted her, and she blinked for a moment before grinning in triumph. “Yay!”

“Mm-hm,” Laurel agreed, all the while trying to drag up the old words. It’d been ages since she’d heard this song or seen the movie, but if she could just think of it...

_ “Stay awake, don’t rest your head, don’t lie down upon your bed,” _ Laurel began, trying not to smile as Liv stared up at her, enraptured by her mother’s voice. She’d never been a bad singer exactly — at least Ollie claimed so — but ever since her meta gene had activated, she’d had an ear for perfect pitch.  _ “While the moon drifts in the skies, stay awake, don’t close your eyes.” _

While they’d watched the movie plenty of times, this particular tune called to mind memories of bedtimes long-past for Laurel, when  _ she _ had been the one protesting going to sleep. She and Sara had done it together really, competing to see who could stay up longest the same way they’d used to compete for everything else. Their mother had always been so unsure how to get them to settle down until she had started to play this one track on their brand-new CD-player. The college professor in her had probably gotten a kick out of the reverse psychology of it all.

And it did appear to be just as effective now, maybe even more so with the personal touch, which Laurel found she liked more. Olivia’s eyes were drooping, and she hadn’t even gotten to the second verse.  _ “Though the world lies fast asleep, though your pillow’s soft and deep, you’re not sleepy as you seem. Stay awake, don’t nod and dream.” _

She brought the blankets up to her baby’s chin as Liv’s head fell onto the pillow.  _ “Stay awake, don’t nod… and dream.” _

Soft breaths that weren’t quite snores left in and out of her daughter’s mouth, and Laurel did let a smile grace her lips at last as she bent down and kissed Olivia’s temple. Then she flicked the bedside lamp on, leaving the Flash lightning bolt night-light as the only source of warm illumination in the room as she slowly backed up towards the door.

Two arms came around her waist, so familiar she didn’t even startle. “Was my pretty bird singing a pretty song?”

Even as she smirked, Olivia shot up in bed with a confused sound. “Dada? Mommy?”

Laurel’s head fell back against her husband’s chest. “Ollie.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, kissing the top of her head before moving further into the room. “Hey, my baby girl. How come you’re giving mommy a hard time? Usually she’s all you want when it's my turn.”

“Daddy gone all day.”

Oliver hung his head. “I know, sweetheart. But I’m home now, and me and your mom are gonna be home all day tomorrow, too. Don’t you wanna be awake for that?” He held one of Olivia’s tiny hands in his own as he spoke, then looked up at Laurel. “Maybe an encore performance, Laurel?”

She sighed and pushed away from the doorframe, coming to stand beside him, one hand rubbing over his shoulders while she opened her mouth to sing once more.

There were decisions that needed to be made soon. But as long as they could have moments like these, she thought they were doing just fine.


End file.
